Canada must address systemic racism and discrimination in the workforce
March 21, 2024
As we mark the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination on March 21, Canada’s unions call on the federal government to take immediate, concrete action to address racism within our workforce. This starts with updating the Employment Equity Act by implementing the Employment Equity Task Force’s recommended reforms. The Employment Equity Act represents a critical tool in our…
Canada’s unions: confronting hate is a shared responsibility
December 10, 2023
This International Human Rights Day, Canada’s unions are calling on governments and individuals to collectively confront rising hate. Canada is facing a crisis: Statistics Canada data released earlier this year showed a record jump in hate crimes against 2SLGBTQI+, Muslim, and Jewish communities in 2021. This number continues to increase. This includes an alarming rise in incidences of hate and…
Canada’s unions: hate and racism cannot continue to go unchecked
December 10, 2022
Canada’s unions have long brought workers together in solidarity and unity to carry on the fight against racism in our workplaces and communities. As we mark Human Rights Day—observed annually on December 10—Canada’s unions are calling out rising hate and racism, and underscoring the path set 25 years ago when they released the National Anti-Racism Task Force report titled Challenging…
Asian Heritage Month: Canada must do more to eliminate anti-Asian racism
April 30, 2022
As Canada prepares to mark Asian Heritage Month in May, anti-Asian racism and xenophobia have continued to rise consistently across the country over the past two years. A national report released by the Chinese Canadian National Council Toronto Chapter and Project 1907 shows that anti-Asian racism and xenophobia have continued to rise consistently across Canada two years into the pandemic.…
Concrete action needed to address anti-Black racism and discrimination
February 1, 2022
Canada’s unions are marking Black History Month by calling for long-term, concrete government action to address systemic labour market discrimination and disadvantages faced by Black workers. “Black people in Canada have had to struggle with the impacts of colonial systems that have rooted anti-Black racism into our institutions, policies, workplaces and society,” said Bea Bruske, President of the Canadian Labour…
Justice for First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples is long overdue
June 2, 2021
The discovery of 215 children in an unmarked burial site in Kamloops has reminded us all about the horrors of the residential school system. All across Canada, First Nations, Inuit and Métis (FNIM) peoples continue to experience the devastating impacts and traumatic legacy of colonialism, violence and systemic racism. It’s time for everyone in Canada to take an active role…
Canada’s unions condemn anti-Asian racism and urge solidarity with Asian communities
April 30, 2021
This Asian Heritage Month, Canada’s unions are standing in solidarity with Asian workers and communities by calling for an end to anti-Asian racism. The COVID-19 pandemic has intensified historical xenophobic, anti-Asian sentiment and rhetoric, which has resulted in increased violence against members of Asian communities. Live data from Fight COVID Racism shows that from March 10, 2020 to mid-April 2021, there…
Canada’s unions call on Ottawa to protect Uyghurs in China
February 24, 2021
Canada’s unions applaud Parliament’s recognition that the Chinese government is committing genocide against its Muslim minority and is now calling on Ottawa to act accordingly. The Government of Canada should now move to officially recognize the genocide and implement the recommendations of the Subcommittee of International Human Rights of the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development (SDIR). Witnesses…
Canada’s unions welcome new terrorist listings for far-right white supremacist groups
February 3, 2021
OTTAWA – Canada’s unions welcome today’s announcement by the federal government that it has added four violent, far-right extremist groups to its list of terrorist organizations. The Proud Boys, the Base, Atomwaffen, and the Russian Imperial Movement have been listed as terrorist entities. This means that these groups can no longer raise money or organize. “These groups are a direct…
Canada’s unions mark Black History Month by calling for racial justice in pandemic response and recovery
February 1, 2021
Canada’s unions are marking Black History Month by calling for an end to systemic anti-Black racism. This includes urging the federal government to disaster-proof Canada’s social safety net to ensure a COVID-19 response and recovery that is rooted in racial justice. “This is a time of reckoning,” said Hassan Yussuff, President of the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC). “The double crisis of…